Audience Theories: Ephebiphobia - Tanya Byron

Psychologist Tanya Byron's article talks about ephebiphobia - the fear of young people. She explains how the labels of disrespect and the accusations of disobeying were actually evident in ancient Egypt and centuries ago in 4th Century BC. They are made to seem like stereotypical youths - rioting, uncontrollable and morally unjust. Peter the Hermit (AD 1274) said: "The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. The are impatient of all restraint ... As for the girls, they are forward, immodest and unladylike in speech, behaviour and dress". This sort of concept has been continued over the years, which is what Byron believes has created the "historically nurtured and culturally damaging phenomenom: ephebiphobia".

Byron argues that as a society, we educate children "in captivity" due to our anxieties being fueled by stories and images of violent crimes. Therefore, labels of troublemakers and failures arise, discounting their potential. She believes that the current education system blocks teenagers from achieving as the definitions of achievement and academic competence have been narrowed. Due to this she feels that the participation of future generations in developing social and cultural landscapes will be declined. Targets and testing places "enormous pressure" on schools who are managing large classes of students with mixed ability students. A herd mentality is greated as students get lost and develop behaviours to "compensate for their difficulties". Finally, she feels that universities should look for people with more varied life experiences instead of just looking at the grades that the student has. Overall, she's suggesting that a broader criteria of success should be looked at.

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